1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to linear, branched, and/or cross-linked block polymers of polyphenylene oxides and polystyrenes. The polyphenylene oxide-polystyrene block polymers can be molded, calendered, or extruded as films, sheets, fibers, laminates or other useful articles of manufacture.
In my copending U.S. applications Ser. No. 800,635 new quinone-coupled polyphenylene oxide polymers having an average hydroxyl group per molecule value greater than zero including 2.0 or less, and Ser. No. 907,596 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,146,697 new polyfunctional styrene polymers having telechelic organosiloxy and/or hydroxy functional groups, respectively, are described. The new polyfunctional quinone-coupled polyphenylene oxides either alone or in combination with monofunctional polyphenylene oxides of the prior art, i.e., polyphenylene oxides having an average hydroxyl group per molecule value greater than zero including 1.0 or less, or combinations thereof can be coupled with the new polyfunctional polystyrenes to form new linear, branched, and/or cross-linked polyphenylene oxidepolystyrene block polymers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Self-condensation reactions of certain phenols employing oxygen in combination with an effective oxidative coupling catalyst system to form monofunctional prior art polyphenylene oxides, i.e., polyphenylene oxides having an average hydroxyl group per molecule of 1.0 or less, are well-known and are described in various publications including Hay's U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,306,875; 3,914,266; 4,028,341, a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 441,295, filed Feb. 11, 1974, now abandoned; Olander's U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,956,442; 3,965,069; 3,972,851 and 4,056,553, among many others.